Convergence: Detective Comics #2 Review

Written by: Len Wein
Art by: Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz and Chris Sotomayor
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 27, 2015

Red Son Burn

The first issue of Convergence: Detective Comics had me torn.  I didn't like what we got of Dick and Helena, but I loved Red Son Superman...I just wanted more.  So, I can't say that I was waiting with baited breath for this issue to arrive, but I was hoping that Len Wein would right the ship and give fans a book that would right the ship.  Is it smooth sailing or did the boat sink to the bottom of the ocean?  Let's find out...



Len Wein starts the issue with something we haven't seen much in this event, but I wish we had...a recap.  I know it's not a novel idea by any stretch, but as someone who has read every book so far, I appreciated it.  Unfortunately, it also reminded me of what I didn't like most about the first issue.  I am talking about Huntress and without spoiling too much, she doesn't get much better in this finale.

Hey, Cameron Stewart said that to us on Twitter

I guess you've guessed that the cliffhanger from last issue was a bit of smoke and mirrors because neither Huntress or Superman died.  Huntress is out cold and Superman is pretty ticked off, but after the oddest rendition of "Super-Vision" I've ever seen (watch where you use that, Supes!), he heads off to confront Dick Grayson.

That Super-Vision is so hot right now

When he finds Dick, things go off the rails quick.  The dialogue is off here and I can't figure out why.  It is like everyone is talking, but nobody is listening to anyone else.  Superman asks Dick if he wants to continue talking things out, but Dick acts like the fight is on.  It goes against what happened in the first issue and really threw me off.  Then Helena wakes up and wants to kill Superman even as he says he is a friend.  Crazy.  Then it gets crazier when a surprise guest shows up.

It's funny, I don't have much of a history with the Red Son Universe, so when Batman showed up, I was shocked, but only for a second.  Dick and Helena have the same reaction, but again, poor dialogue brings it all down a bit.  After what was supposed to be a touching scene between Batman and Helena, Batman gives them a gift and leaves the scene with the subtlety of Arnold Swarzenegger.

Really?

Instead of getting to the chopper, he lures them away from the young heroes, but Superman is on the look out again.  This time his "Super-Vision" looks different, but I'm guessing it is color coordinated for any and every occasion.  Who knows.  Of course, he eventually finds them and we are pushed right back into the awkward situation that started this issue.  Superman kind of wants to talk, Dick and Helena attack him, Superman laughs at them, they almost kill him with Batman's gift (it was kryptonite, surprise!), Dick can't do it, Superman wants to kill them to please the Russian populace and then they shake on it.  What the fuck just happened?!?  I think my mind just got scrambled and I'm not sure when I'm going to recover.  The worst part is, after all of this, the story goes back to what was going on in the middle of last issue.  If Helena didn't act like a jerk we would have had the same outcome.  I was mad, but not as mad as Telos.

Now it looks ice cold!

He cries foul on both sides and Dick and Helena are transported away.  After an odd explanation about why Helena acted out of character, Wein ends the issue in such a great way that I almost forgave him for everything else.  Fans who bought this two-parter should have a smile on their face when they close this book and in the end, isn't that what this event was for?

My initial reaction to the art in this book was mixed.  However, after reading the issue a couple of times I have to admit that I really like what Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz and Chris Sotomayor gave us here.  The gritty look fits the story, especially everything in Moscow.  No gimmicks or extravagant full page spreads were needed and I appreciate that.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue ended the Convergence: Detective Comics story on such a good note, but unfortunately, I can't sit back and ignore the other twenty pages.  This issue was filled with awkward dialogue, odd situations and a bunch of nonsense.  However, I did like the art and it ends with what every fan wanted to see from this story.  I wish I could recommend it, but I just can't.

4.5/10